MATERIALS AND METHODSDESIGNThe design was kept simple to allow anyone to be able lObuild their own trailer; however, a lot ofdetail was kept in the design to give the most realistic look possible. The boat trailer was first drawnfree hand on a sheet of paper with lIB pencil. The details of component parts were projected in a profile

boat trailer is a cart desi gned to launch, retrieve, carry and sometimes store boats (Wikipedia, 2011). Due tothefact that towing device is not available inthe college boatyard, conveying a boat to the lake or any waterbody for fishing and related practical works have always been with difficulties and full of risk. Boats werealways conveyed by carrying them on pick up vans, which is not a good option as the boat eould bescratched or damaged on transit and the occupants of same van could be endangered inaddition to high costfor hiring. Learning how to build a boat trailer can be a fun project that will save money, boat trailers arevery expensive and hard to find. Trailing or towing a boat imposes several challenges, selecting the righttowing equipment, driving safely and launching and retrieving the boat on a slippery boat ramp, all whileotherboater wait their team and look on critically, Responsible boat owners understand that meeting thesechallenges isjust as important as handling a boat safely and courteously on the water (Tyler 2010). To towsafely and effecti vely depends on many factors, most of which are elemental in their simplicity. Yet criticalwhen taken as a whole for example, having your tow vehicle equipped with the right lowing equipment andproper drive train components is not sufficient in and of itself ?-.either is keeping your tow vehicle in topcondition. However, this work was prompted by the need for a towing device that will make movement ofboats from the college to any water body easy with the following objectives.

To build on the technical knowledge and capacity to upgrade the college fishing boat yard throughthe usc oflocally available materials for safety and cost reduct jon.To produce a towing device that will make movement of boats from the college to any water bodyeasy.

AINTRODUCTION

ABSTRACTA simple boat trailer with an overall length of 4.59m, breathes 1.68m, and weight of87kgwa'i designedandconstructed using locally available metals and scrap materials. Theboat trailer was used /0 tow a boatof 250kg weight through a distance of 14km without qffecling the safety and speed of the car. Theconstructionresulted to theproduction of an open cart that is light and easily maneuvered that onepersoncanmove it manually without difficulty. The total production cost was N32, 300 which is affordable inrelation10 the cost of transporting boats through the use of pick up vans. The boat trailer can be easilymaneuveredwhen coupled to any car or van. Thismakes it adequatefor towing andfor safer movement ofboatsfrom the school boatyard to any water bodies.Keywords:boat, towing, construction

FEDERAL COLLEGE OF FRESHWATERFISHERIES TECHNOLOGY,P.M. B. )500, ~W BUSSA, NIGER STATu.

ABUBAKAR. S., ADAMU. R .,ADUDAKAR, B., OMOTAYO, O.and

B.MAGAJT .

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF A SIMPLE BOATTRAILER FOR FEDERAL COLLEGE OF FRESHWATER

FISHERIES TECHNOLOGY NEW BUSSA.

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RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONThe design sketch and layout showing the details and shape of the trailer are presented in figures 1 and 2respectively. The steps followed in the construction are present inplates 1to 3.The construction resulted tothe production of an open cart that is light and easily maneuvered such that one person can safely move itmanually without difficulty, The specifications of the trailer (Table 1), indicates that the breadth overall is1.68m, and the length overall is 4.59m. These specifications are in line with the trailer design guidelinesaccording to Tyler (2010). The light weight gives the trailer an advantage of been towed with less efforthence can be used to transport boat by towing with any small car.The cost of construction was N32, 300 (table 2), which is affordable in relation to the cost of transporting boats trough the use of pick up vans.These will definitely cur cost for local fishermen during launching and retrieval of boats and canoes onnearby water bodies for fishing activities.'Whenthe trailer was coupled to a small car (Toyota Corolla) with a boat of about 250kg weight (plate 4)

FINISHING, TESTING A~H)COSTAfter completing the main construction, the trailer was sanded off thoroughly then cleaned with a rag toprepare a good surface for painting. Aller sanding, three coats of oil gloss paint were used to paint thewhole construction allowing one coat to dry before applying the next. This was to give the trailer apolishedsurface to avoid easy roasting.The trailer was coupled to a car while carrying a boat, then moved through adistance of about 14km,while observing the drag force, how stable and balanced the boat was during themovement, employing all safety regulations. The trailer was also towed manually by one person thenobserved as above. The cost of the trailer was estimated based on thelocal market cost of thematerials usedforthe construction inrespect of their sizes and specifications.

The fixingsThe fixings to the skeleton includes: Chine bunk, Axle, Rollers, Winch stand, winch and the Coupler.25mmx50mm hollow pipe and 2Smmx25mm mild steel angle bar were measured and cut out to therequired pieces. The pieces of hollow pipe were first joined in 'T' shape by welding, and then the pieces ofangle barwere used as reinforcement at the angles. 17mmbolt andnut with 3mm thick iron plate welded tothe rail were used to construct the adjustable securingpoint of the bunk to the skeleton. 2Smmthick rubberwas fixed to the top surface of the bunkwith (ivostick) gum. The axlewas constructed with Smrn 'H'bar cutto required size. The barwas set with try square andwelded to amechanical disc brake assembly (car fronthubs) on the two sides to carry the wheels. Size 14 wheel and tire were coupled to each side. 6 rubberbushings wereused toform the rollers. 2 bushings wereput together bypassing a central rod through them,then fixed to a small framemade with 25mm flat bar. Thiswas then fixed at 3 positions along the centre ofthe main frame of the trailer. 37mrn and 25mm galvanized pipes were cut to required sizes and fittedtogether by sliding the 25mm into the 37rrun in an adjustable position secured with 17mm bolt and nut.This was fixed on the skeleton towards the front by welding at an angle of 600to serve as the winch stand. 2plain helical gears weremeshed together in a simple constant mesh arrangement as tow and drive gear,such that the drive gear was connected to the winding handle and to the tow gear 12mmpipe was fixed Lohold the towing cable. The coupling part was reinforced by welding 50x50mm mild steel angle bar at thetwo sides. 20mm Mis rod was cut to required length and bent by tightening 011 a bench vice then forced tobend to shape with the aid of a short pipe for easy handling. 3mm MIs plate was fixed to cover the openspaces.

CONSTRUCTIONThe skeletonThe main skeleton or rail was constructed with 50mmxSOmmmild steel hollow pipe. The pipes weremeasured and cut into the required pieces with tape rule and hacksaw respectively. The cut pieces werejoined byarc welding to form the required sketeton.

view. The layout of the construction was drawn indicating all dimensions of the parts.

Table2: sizes and cost of materialsMaterial Si7.e Quantity Unit price Amount NMis Hollow pipe 50xSOmm 3No 1,800 5,400Mis Hollow pipe 25x5Ornm 2No 1,200 i,400Mis Angle bar 50x50mm lXo 2,800 2,800MisAngle bar 25x25mm 1);"0 1,200 1,200Mis rod 12mm 11'\0 1,800 1,800M's rod 6mm lKo 1,250 1,250

Table 1: Specifications of the trailerLength overall 4.59mBreadth overall 1.68mHeight below frame 0.21mMaximum height 0.37m

FIGURE 1: DESIGN SKETCH AND DETAILSFIGURE 2: DESIGN LAYOUT

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andmoved through a distance of 14km the drag force was minimal as it did not affect the speed of the earsignificantly based on the statement of the driver of the vehicle. When one person towed the trailer withboatmanually, itwas done with less effort inrelation to carrying the boat directly .

Plate 3: completed trailer with boat coupled to a towing car.

Plate 2: sanding of the constructed trailer.Plate 1: Construction of the skeleton

Plain gear 2:--ro 500 1,000Mechanical disc brake assembly 2No 1,500 3,000Rubber bushings 6No 350 2,lOOGloss paint gal. 2g1 2,500 5,000Sanding disc No 4No 250 1~OOOBolt and nut 17mm S No 60 480Labour cost 4,530Rubber band 50mm 1roll 500 500Total cost N32, 300.

'.REFERENCESBRUCE W. SMITH (2008): The complete guide to trailering your boat,

The frailer boats magazine, International Marine I McGraw-HiliCamden, Maine New York,177p.

Microsoft Encarta (2009): Encarta Dictionary 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation.GJeD-L (2010): http://v.'Vvw.glenl.comJdesigns/desntrir.Tyler Adams (2010): http://wwv ....mademan.comlmmlhow-build-boat-trailcr.html.Wikipedia (2011): http://www.wikipedia.com/bllildinga-l/lO-scale-flatbed-railer.html

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONThe trailer, have light weight, least cost and easy maneuverability as its advantages. These importantqualities are adequate for a safe towing device required for the easy movement of craft from the collegeto and from any water body. . '.It is recommended that same technology be used to construct bigger trailers that can be used to carrylarger crafts. .